


The Hoodie

by rathernotmyname



Series: Fictober! 2020 [30]
Category: Mr. Robot (TV)
Genre: Chubby Elliot Alderson, Comfy Aldersystem, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Fictober! Day 30, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, Managing Life, Mr. Robot Goes Shopping, Post-Canon, only a little bit though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:47:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28108041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rathernotmyname/pseuds/rathernotmyname
Summary: Months of rest and good food result in an ill-fitting Hoodie.Mastermind won't see reason, Mr. Robot has to intervene.
Relationships: Elliot Alderson & Mr. Robot & The Mastermind
Series: Fictober! 2020 [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050200
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	The Hoodie

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note:  
> I DO NOT CONSENT TO MY WORK BEING HOSTED OR REPOSTED ON ANY UNOFFICIAL APPS OR WEBSITES OTHER THAN ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN WITHOUT MY APPROVAL, PARTICULARLY APPS WITH AD REVENUE AND SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES.

It‘s absolutely no use.

Mr. Robot turns in the mirror, twisting this way and that way, slouching and straightening up, but the facts stay the same.

The facts in case: the body has (finally) gained weight and The Hoodie doesn’t fit anymore.

Keeping a healthy weight had never been very high in their agenda, no matter who sat behind the wheel, so it had been an important goal for them after everything was said and done. Leon had immediately jumped on and did his best to come over at least once a week so they could cook together. Darlene isn’t very big on cooking, but it’s undeniable that she loves the fancy dishes and various versions of dessert, which improves their confidence in getting something right, especially Elliot’s. Even though Leon had admitted after a while that none of them are very good at it, they still keep going, because it’s fun. Cooking has a calming effect on them. 

Following a recipe is simple, sauces and vegetables like commands being typed with an unsure, but eager hand, still requiring some sensitivity to find the easiest and most straightforward way to achieve the program fulfilling its purpose, or, in this case, to get the measurements of the spices right.

All those occasions of good, filling food and those more and more frequent nights of restful sleep have finally started to show. The bags underneath his eyes have vanished, his face isn’t so drawn and his cheeks less haggard, finally looking his age and not 10 years older, the unhealthy pallor has receded from long, extensive walks with Flipper and the back-aches are starting to appear less often as well, after Dom convinced the Mother to give Yoga a try (which had caused a lot of arguments until they came to the compromise of watching YouTube tutorials instead of enrolling in a Yoga course).

And lastly, to Darlene’s delight, the body has gained weight, and Mastermind’s favorite item of clothing, the hoodie which had gone through so much with him, has gotten too tight.

It’s not even really noticeable, it doesn’t stretch or anything, but Darlene had drawn their attention on the way it seemed to be too short after dinner, a small sliver of black T-shirt-clad belly looking out. 

Mastermind had been indignant after Darlene had pointed it out, giggling and trying to poke it while he was trying in vain to pull the hoodie further down and blushing furiously. Mr. Robot had quickly intervened before he could get angry or die from shame.

Any suggestions to buy a new hoodie are met with defiance. Nobody wants to take the hoodie away from Mastermind, but Elliot starts to leave the house less often when he fronts after Mastermind has decided on the clothing of the day, too ashamed of being stared at because of the ill-fitting hoodie but unwilling to take it off, since he doesn’t want to disrespect Mastermind’s chosen wardrobe. 

(That’s another compromise they had come to after fighting too often about how to dress for the day – they take turns every two days on deciding what to wear. It has worked without much trouble so far, since everyone is considerate of the others’ preferences in the case of an unexpected switch.)

That just won’t do. Mr. Robot turns once more before the mirror, heaving a soft sigh at the visible gap between hoodie and jeans, takes the hoodie off and slips into his favorite flannel. He never buttons it up anyway, so it’s no problem at all. He still might have to invest in some new jeans before the waistband gets too uncomfortable.

He walks out the door and takes the subway to the city center, making a beeline to the first secondhand shop he sees. 

He finds a myriad of hoodies, but those that are black are full of holes, too big or way too thin. Even if Mr. Robot wants to solve the problem of Mastermind being essentially proper-hoodie-less as quickly as possible, he doesn’t want the guy to freeze. 

He checks out a few more secondhands, and then he pops into Tom Taylor, leaving before even looking at the prices on the black crop top hoodies on sale, grumbling and feeling ashamed for even considering it. 

After buying a hot-dog from a street vendor, he comes upon a clothes shop squeezed between a vegan grocery store and a Burger King, windows plastered with posters that loudly declare “sale” and “70% off!”. When he steps closer, he reads that the store will close at the end of the month. 

“Well, tenth time’s the charm,” he mutters, pulling down the edge of his white t-shirt self-consciously while entering. (Alright, maybe it’s a good opportunity to invest in a few new clothes for himself.)

Fate is merciful on this day, because he finds a great hoodie to replace the old one. It fits, for once. It’s also nice and soft, fabric thick enough to protect them from frostbite if Mastermind forgoes the winter coat again, it has big pockets and stinks of clothing store laundry detergent.

Perfect.

He might have to convince Elliot to ‘wear it in’ so it takes on a little more soothing smell, but at least his stomach won’t get cold anymore.

As he pays for the piece of clothing, he feels Elliot lurking in the back of his head, curious about what he’s doing. A gently haze overcomes their brain, a tell-tale sign of a switch. 

“Not now,” Mr. Robot tells him, because even if Elliot isn’t as paranoid as Mastermind, he still doesn’t like small spaces, so Mr. Robot will gladly take the subway ride on himself. 

As soon as the door of their flat is closed behind him, he surrenders the body to Elliot, but it’s not Elliot who comes out.

“What’s in there?” Mastermind hisses, looking as if he knows the answer already. When Mr. Robot turns around, Elliot is sitting on the couch. 

He winces. “I’m sorry, but we made a promise, remember? I told him that you-”

Mr. Robot waves him off. “Yeah, yeah. Now, let’s see what we have here.”

He unpacks the hoodie, shaking it out and presenting it to Mastermind, who’s still pouting, arms crossed in defiance. “Ta-da!”

“I don’t want it,” Mastermind gripes, pushing past Mr. Robot and picks a mug from the cupboard, moodily shoveling instant coffee into it and putting water on the stove. 

“Not too loud, it’s gonna get sad,” Mr. Robot says sarcastically, hugging the hoodie and patting its ‘back’. The he hangs it over the backrest of the couch. Elliot stretches a hand out for it, examining the fabric, as Mr. Robot walks over where Mastermind stares at the water as if it’s going to boil faster that way.

“Face the truth, sweetheart,” he says, spreading his arms, palms facing the ceiling, “it’s too tight. Darlene was right for a change. I’m not saying you have to get rid of the old hoodie, but… sorry to guilt-trip you like that, but it’s unfair to the others. It’s as if I’d choose a pink tutu as the outfit of the day.”

“That’s not the same,” Mastermind snaps, but his scowl has softened a little. 

“For us, it is basically the same, and you know that. And you make up like... 80% of our awkwardness, so don’t pretend it isn’t.”

Mastermind seems to shrink, shoulders pulled up to his ears.

“But I can’t…”

“You can. Believe me. I would know, and I do.”

Mastermind dismisses the water for a moment, turning to where Elliot has tried on the hoodie. It really fits a lot better than the old one. It also misses the big patched-up spot of Mastermind and Tyrell’s ‘mishap’ with the gun, but all in all, it’s just a black hoodie like every other. 

“Okay,” Mastermind squeaks weakly, one hand clenching around the mug, the other pulling at his short hair anxiously.

“We can make the old hoodie into a pillow or something,” Elliot suggests as he takes the hoodie off again to give it to Mastermind, who hesitantly shrugs it on over the flannel he still wears. 

“No. We’re not gonna do that.”

“Alright, we won’t. So you’ll keep it?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

Mr. Robot generously gives his flannel-day to Mastermind so he can try out the new hoodie. Even Mastermind has to admit that it fits much better, no more tightness or slipping up or sideways or whatever. 

In the end, the new hoodie becomes a regular in their life that they quickly take for granted. The old hoodie moves into the closet, coming out ever so often when Mastermind feels under the weather and needs some sort of comfort item. It’s more something to cuddle with than to wear now, but they are all satisfied with the end result, and that’s all that matters. 

Mr. Robot can rest easy until the next catastrophe.

**Author's Note:**

> Chonky Elliot will be canon post s4 and you can't change my mind!!!! Comfy boy in sweaters, being healthy and happy? Fucking yes please. F-World/Loopville/Dreamworld Host Elliot was noticeably more squishy than Mastermind at any time during the series, so there. It's canon.  
> So, there needs to be more Aldersystem fluff, is my opinion. Enough with the Angst, give me domesticity!  
> As always, if I depicted DID systems wrong or fucked up in any other way, please, please, please tell me so I can change it asap!!  
> Thank you for reading! :)


End file.
